Project Sakura
by storygirl1015
Summary: Sakura is a neko experiment born in a lab. But when fate leads her to a world beyond her prison, what will happen to everyone she meets as she turns their worlds upside down? Sakuxmulti
1. Lab Cat

**Not sure where this idea came from, but it seemed unique and I wanted to try it~ Think of it as a sort of compromise for me not updating my other tories for a while (still working on getting my personal computer fixed, and thank you to all of you who've sent pms asking about updates). Anywaaaay...this is basically a Sakura-neko harem/centric. Don't like it then don't read. I don't want any flames. Got it?**

**Summary: **Created and designed to serve as the ultimate bio-genetically engineered feline experiment, Sakura's whole life has been nothing but the torture she endures inside the walls of a laboratory. After a daring escape, she finds herself in the real world for the first time, and faced with the challenge of blending in. With the help of her new friends and a little kitty cunningness, will she be able to keep her secret safe from the people trying to hunt her down?

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><p><strong>Ch.1- <strong>Lab Cat

She hissed out warnings and spit fire from her eyes as the large human hand slowly crept closer. She deftly dodged as an arm snaked behind her head and the human attempted to grab hold of her by the thick layer of skin behind her neck.

She bared her sharp fangs and backed into a corner, swiping at the hand with her claws swiftly enough for her assailant to retract his hand, just barely missing having her talons digging into his flesh. It went on like this for a while, human predator and feline prey engaging in an odd game of cat and mouse. The bitter irony that _she_ wasn't the cat_ or_ the one in control made bile rise with the self-disgust she was currently feeling.

As she temporarily slowed down to catch her breath, the hand once again reached out, and this time caught her off guard as she was dragged from her prison cell, clawing and fighting all the while. Dangling in the air, all she could do was hang limply there, waiting for her tormentor to do with her as he would, just like so many other times before.

Then, as he began walking out of the dank white room lined with cramped little prisons just like hers, at a steady pace, her will to fight resurfaced with a passion, and she began to swipe and snap blindly in raw fury, pure instinct guiding her to lash out with the primitive force and power of a mountain lion on the hunt.

Whether the human was shocked by her actions, or simply not quick enough to react didn't matter to her at the moment, as her fast thinking provided her with just enough time to sink her lethal fangs into his arm, her neck twisting painfully with the jerked motion, but her mind and body screaming not to let go. So she held on, mild hope and satisfaction trickling into her when she felt the man wince, though she also felt the pain of him tightening his grip around her neck even further.

She, a biogenetically-enhanced cat with a rare gene mutation that caused her fur to appear an abnormal pastel rose color, had been born and raised in this lab located in who knows where for the sole purpose of being used as an unwilling test subject to be experimented on in the hopes of 'bettering the life quality of humans everywhere'. Yes, it might seem like a blameless and noble enough ambition, if it didn't mean the suffering of hundreds of innocent animal experiments just like her.

Through the rigorous tests that were performed on her daily from the time she became conscious of her existence, she had gained many bizarre and incredible abilities. She had built up immunity to some of the deadliest poisons known to man (at the cost of stopping her heart several times over the past few years), had heightened combat and awareness skills, able to adapt to almost any terrain on earth, take on and defeat at least four dozen enemies twice her natural size and strength, and so the scientists claimed, she also possessed the ability of healing, though she could never remember using it, as their cruel testing always left her bloody and suffering from internal damage for at least a few days to a week. And though she was always injected with a special healing serum to cause her body to repair itself quickly so that her injuries wouldn't kill her, or make her useless to them, they still _did_, hurt like hell.

Moments later, the man still gripping her stood inside a large, empty white chamber, save for one lone, metal bed in the center of the room. She was carefully pried away from the man and then unceremoniously dumped onto the cold metal surface, straps meant to hold her in place locking around her body and leaving her completely immobilized.

Her sharp green irises glinted maliciously at the white-coated humans who came scurrying into the room, a tray of needles of all sizes with them. One man she knew instantly, the reflection of the blinding white light off his glasses made knots rise in her stomachs, his gloved hands holding a clipboard as he skimmed her information intently. "Ah, experiment 067...I see your scheduled for your monthly blood transfusion." he murmured, a cynical smile that made her want to claw his eyes out, on his lips.

For as long as she could remember, once a month, they would inject her bloodstream with some kind of deadly pathogen, and monitor to see how long it took her body to completely shut down. Then, they'd bring her back from the brink of death, only to perform more torturous operations on her again and again.

Soon the mask was placed over her nose and mouth, a gas meant to render her unconscious being steadily vaporized into her lungs. As the drug began to take effect, she felt her mind become hazy and her muscles loosening gradually, but was still fully aware of everything happening. After all, with the high tolerance she'd developed for a number of the drugs they administered to her over the years, it was no surprise that most of the sedating effects were weakened. Though this wasn't necessarily a plus in this case, since it just meant she'd be vaguely conscious during the procedure and more sensitive to the pain.

She could feel every needle digging into her flesh, hear the constant beeps of the machines. For nearly sixteen years, this had been her life, and she absolutely_ hated_ it. The poking, prodding, injections, mental and physical pain was almost enough to drive her to the breaking point...the only thing that kept her hope alive was the thought that she'd one day escape her prison.

She wanted so badly to leap over the barbed electrical fences that surrounded the grey building that so strongly resembled a correctional prison facility. To smell the wonderful aromas of the outside world she'd only heard whispers about as the scientists passed her cell. She wanted to taste food other than the little brown pellets they gave her, and to live life without fear of the harsh punishments they routinely inflicted upon her whenever she didn't do something they wanted.

Sometimes, if they left a door cracked in a hallway on the opposite side of the building where she'd spent her whole life while the cleaning crews mopped, if she tilted her head up and concentrated hard enough to block out the smell of ammonia, she could just barely catch a whiff of it on a dull breeze-the outside world. The very thought of the wonderful place that lay just beyond this hellhole sent every single fiber of her body into overdrive.

She wondered if it was as incredible as it sounded. It was probably even better. Anywhere would be better than this place anyway, she concluded. She heard the head scientist mutter something to an assistant, and the dull scrape of his pen moving fluidly across his clipboard as he monitored the drug's effects. He made a clucking noise with his tongue and then asked more another syringe.

She inwardly braced herself the minute she felt the point of the needle pressing into her side as more vile liquid was injected. But unlike most times, it only took seconds for the drug to take effect. She sound found herself writhing and yowling at the top of her lungs in pain. Her whole body felt like she was being scorched alive in a blazing furnace. Around her she could hear the scientists all talking frantically at once, but her mind was too focused on the pain to make out what they were saying. She thrashed wildly against the restraints, the metal digging into her aching body. She could feel her bones shifting, crunching together, some lengthening while others shortened. The last thing she could register before she fell into total darkness was the blinding light as her glassy green eyes rolled back into her head.

Sharp verdant eyes slowly opened to blinding light. Blinking back the spots and trying to block out the sporadic ache in her skull, she shifted onto her side, staring dully at the white walls of her containment cell. She felt...strange, only remembering passing out after an intensely painful experiment at the hands of the cruel 'scientists', and then waking up back in what passed for her 'room'. If one could call it that.

The cold metal feeling of the shock collar around her neck felt extra restricting, and she could feel her flesh rising from the constant chill in the air. Although it was odd considering it had never particularly bothered her before, considering her thick, smooth pelt. She arched her back stiffly, trying to stretch out her sore muscles, and noticed, for the first time, foreign pale limbs much longer than her own paws had ever been.

And instead of the soft pink fur, there was smooth skin, and thin things she heard the scientists call 'fingers' attached. Instantly, she was on high alert, startled and confused, feeling like a stranger in her own body for the first time in her life. As if to prove herself still capable of normal functions, she willed her tail to swish, and was satisfied to her the dull thump of it hitting the ground behind her. She also twitched ears, feeling the cool flicker of air go through them.

But then she glanced down at the rest of her body, and her heart nearly stopped. Her body...her once perfectly normal _feline_ body, was now that of a delicate, full _human _figure. She had two erect breasts, not six small nipples, a flat abdomen that tapered off into sloping hips and slender legs that ended in human feet, complete with two sets of toes.

Shakily, she tried to rise to her feet, finding it difficult in this disproportioned new body and collapsing helplessly like a newborn deer. Letting out a plaintive noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a frustrated meow and a little grunt, she tried again, finding some leverage when she used her new arms for support and _then_ her legs, instead of just rising all at once as she normally would. A sound of applause came over the intercom installed into the wall, and she turned her attention toward the one way glass, where she knew those putrid humans were watching her every move.

"Congratulations, 067...it seems you've taken your very first steps in your new body. I think you'll do quite nicely...though now that you're no longer fully feline, I suppose you'll require a proper name, as well as instruction on how to act adequately 'human'." and here the voice gave a condescending snort, as if to imply that such a feat was impossible for a lowly creature such as her.

She bared her still sharp fangs up at the wall, and hissed. "Now, now 067...now that you look like one of us...more or less, you must learn to _act_ the part. No more growling, hissing or meowing when you want something. You've been given a heightened sense of intelligence along with that beautiful new form, you can _speak_ now."

She tilted her head and flicked her ears, eying the wall intently. What was he talking about? Sure, she could understand them , she had always been able to. But did he mean that now, they'd be able to understand _her_? She wasn't too sure if she wanted to communicate with them though. She knew naturally that communication was key in any social group, it was how animals understood each other, and humans too. But just speaking and looking like them...was that truly enough for them to accept her?

Of course not, she reasoned, why would that matter now, after so long, so much torture? But what if she could convince them to trust her? Then maybe, she'd be given an opportunity to finally escape! The thought sent a sharp shiver of anticipation flooding through her veins, but she was careful to keep this hidden from the human spectators above, viewing her from behind the glass enclosure.

Instead she flicked her tail once, trying to make her mouth mimic the sounds she had heard them make time and again. Finally she managed a quiet, "W-w-whaat?" the sound drawled out like a cat's curious meow, but was still clearly heard, nonetheless. Behind the glass, the scientists broke out in excited chatter, all clambering closer around the man who was leaning into the speaker, communicating with the young cat girl.

"Yes, yes?" he pressed eagerly, awaiting her next attempt at speaking.

"Sa...Saku..ra?" she sputtered out, and behind the glass the scientists all froze, befuddled.

"Wait, what are you trying to say, speak clearly." the man urged through the microphone.

The girl merely shook her head, her now waist-length human hair moving with the motion. "S-Saku-ra..." she repeated. She didn't know why that one word kept sticking in her head. She knew she'd heard it somewhere before, though where was as big a mystery as the meaning of the word itself.

"S-Sakura, are you trying to ask what that is?" the scientist asked.

She simply blinked up at them curiously, her tail swishing slowly from side to side as if awaiting a response.

"Well...a 'Sakura' is a type of tree. It blossoms in certain places during the spring and has bright pink flowers that are almost like..." he paused, examining the naked female sitting in a cat-like posture in the middle of the floor, his eyes roaming over her nubile body and landing not where most men's gazes would linger, but stopping on her bright, petal pink hair. "It's about the same shade as your hair, actually. In fact, I think 'Sakura' would be a good codename for you. ...Hmm. Yes, you'll be Project 'Sakura' from now on."

The newly named Sakura curled her tail around her waist and yawned, stretching out like a cat getting ready for a long nap. "Sleep well, little Sakura..." he whispered into the speaker. "Your training begins tomorrow."


	2. A Daring Esape and Meetings

**Now that Sakura's gained the form of a human the real story begins. How will this feline experiment now a cat trapped in a person's body react to the experiences that await her in the world beyond the lab? And who will she meet? Find out now!**

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><p><strong>Ch. 2<strong>- A Daring Escape and Meetings

"Now Sakura, repeat after me; 'I will speak only when spoken to, and do something only when given permission.'"

"I...I only speak when spoken to...and only do s-something when given permission." the young feline repeated softly. Her instructor frowned slightly at the small stutter, but otherwise ignored it. The lesson continued for another hour, until a familiar man in a white lab coat walked in, carrying a clipboard.

"Ah Matsu, are you still at it?" he asked with a small chuckle.

"D-dr. Kabuto, sir!" she exclaimed, instantly rising in a bow, shooting Sakura a sharp look, a gesture for her to do the same. Clumsily, Sakura mimicked her actions, until she was motioned to sit with a wave of Kabuto's hand.

"Relax, I just came to check on her progress so I can update her files."

The woman shook her head tiredly, sighing. "Well...her speech has gotten better. But she's still acting timid and stuttering. In the past week alone she's improved by about 40%, but in the last month overall, she's only improved by about 75%. Her motor skills and cognitive reasoning thus far are still only on par with that of the average six-year old child."

Kabuto nodded, jotting down notes on his clipboard before giving Sakura a gentle smile. "Well, it's only been a month so far. Give her some time, and I'm sure her growth rate will increase. Besides, she's improved radically, much better than I'd anticipated without any real outside stimuli. Her functioning is all there, it's just that she hasn't fully learned to access it yet. Once that happens, we'll be able to move on to the next stage of her training." Sakura felt her body quiver slightly at the chilling edge he held in his voice, but otherwise showed no sign of comprehending his words.

It was true that he may have been acting nicer since the altering of her body, but he still gave her the creeps. She tuned the rest of the conversation out; that is, until she heard Matsu calling to her with an exasperated tone and looked up to see the petite brown-haired woman standing there with her hands on her hips. Apparently she'd been calling her for quite a while.

"Come, Sakura, it's time for you to return to your holding unit." she said, turning without looking back in expectation that Sakura would follow.

She did of course; experience had taught her that obedience usually avoided a painful shock from the suffocating collar around her neck, or some other form of torture they could and did inflict upon her, should she disobey. She noted, following behind on all fours as she was accustomed, that Kabuto had already left, and carefully scanned the empty white halls as she followed the female scientist.

For some reason, the lab was unusually quiet today, not bustling with activity like it usually was. Sakura wondered if something was happening somewhere else in the building, and noticed that the woman in front of her seemed surprisingly preoccupied, as if she were in a daze.

Quietly, she waited until they came to the next corner of intersections, sniffing out a faint but vaguely familiar trail before slinking away, unnoticed...

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><p>"Hahahaha! Yeah, I score again!" the blond whooped gleefully.<p>

"Don't get cocky, dobe; you're only ahead by two points," the raven-haired teen caught the ball with ease as it was bounced roughly in his direction.

"Yeah, and now that I _am_, don't expect to catch up any time soon, 'cause I'm gonna make you taste rubber by the time we're through Sasuke-_teme_!" the blond boy continued to croon. The raven-haired boy gave a grunt and then deftly started dribbling towards his opponent's hoop, occasionally feigning to one side or the other to throw him off.

The blond was able to follow his movements surprisingly well, almost preventing him from making the basket. He growled in annoyance when the ball met the hoop with an elegant swish and he turned around to see a smirk on his friend's handsome face. "What was that about you making me taste rubber, again?"

"Grr! Shut up, this isn't over!"

The two teenagers continued to play for some time, both growing sweaty to the point of their school uniform shirts sticking to their bodies uncomfortably, forcing them to strip down to their undershirts. By the time they paused for a break the scores were tied, and both boys had grown a little winded.

The blond, lifting up his shirt to wipe his hot, sweaty face with, tried not to appear at all exhausted, glancing at his friend and rival for any signs of him showing fatigue-and therefore, a weakness. He was not disappointed to see the young Uchiha also wiping his forehead with the back of one hand, indicating he was also feeling the effects of their long game.

Glancing up when he felt a pair of ocean blue orbs on him, he stared back composedly before suggesting to postpone the game in a casual tone. "Hey Naruto, it's getting late. Let's head back, we can finish this off tomorrow."

Not wanting to appear weak in front of his rival, but also not wanting to miss the chance of stopping without having to actually be the one to suggest it, he tried to shrug coolly, an art his friend had seemed to master effortlessly by the start of junior high. "Whatever, I was about to mop the court with you anyway..." the blond puffed, turning away with his arms crossed.

"You wish, Uzumaki."

Ignoring the Uchiha, the easygoing blond snatched the ball and began trying to twirl it on one finger, figuring he'd show off some fancy moves of his own just to let his friend see how much better_ his_ skills were. After dropping the ball several times, he attempted to make a basket by tossing it over his shoulder without looking. Big mistake.

The raven-haired teen watched blankly as the ball sailed completely past the basket and into some bushes. "Tch, smooth dobe." he mocked, brushing past the gaping blond.

"H-hey, where are you going?"

"Where's it look like, moron? Home; we have a project to work on remember? Though how I ever got stuck with a loser like you, I have no idea."

At this, the blond's face blanched and he turned to see his friend already walking away. "Kuso! I forgot all about that! H-hey, Sasuke, stay here ok; I gotta go get the ball." said Uchiha watched the blond dash off into the bushes, shaking his head slightly. "Don't leave, okay?" he heard the loud Uzumaki calling over his shoulder.

Looking up at the sky, he decided he'd wait on his partner. But only because he didn't feel like having Naruto nag him for being left. "How did I ever get to be friends with such an idiot, anyway?"

-XoXoXo-

She didn't know how long or far she'd run, but even with her superhuman stamina she could feel herself quickly becoming exhausted as the sun began to set. Still, she forced herself to keep going for another mile or so before she decided she couldn't go any further without the risk of being found by the scientists who were surely looking for her by now.

The dim lighting of the street lamps illuminated the court just a few yards away from the clump of dense bushes she was resting in. From beyond her hiding place, she could see two people playing some sort of game with a ball. They were both male and they were running back and forth, up and down, taking the ball from each other and throwing it into some sort of net set up high.

She watched them sluggishly as she began to drift off. Watching the boys back and forth motions was like a sort of lullaby, and it didn't take long for her heavy eyelids to shut in a quick catnap. That is until a loud _thunk _near her head made her jump up in alarm, senses on high alert. She noticed a pair of worn sneakers coming towards her and quickly tried to duck further into the shrubs, tail swaying slowly in case the need to strike arose.

As the blond boy bent down to pick up the ball, he had the strangest feeling for some reason...almost as if he were being watched. He glanced around quickly, then back over his shoulder, seeing nothing. He laughed off his nervousness, scratching the back of his head. "Heh heh...must be my imagination." he mumbled to himself, a somewhat half-hearted grin tugging at his lips.

Stepping over some taller bushes, a flash of motion caught his deep ocean orbs long enough to make him pause abruptly. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, sure that what he had seen was no in no way a part of his imagination. It looked more like...a person, although he could've sworn he'd seen a tail...

He stepped closer, warily, his curiosity getting the better of him. Sure enough, what looked like the tip of a tail was slowly swishing from behind some bushes, and the blond was surprised to see that it was colored _pink_ of all things. _'Maybe this is some kind of joke,'_ he reasoned to himself. _'Yeah, that's it, it's all a joke. I mean c'mon, a _pink _cat? That's definitely impossible!'_

Despite his reasoning, he still felt the urge to prove the very small yet very doubtful part of his mind wrong. Shakily, he reached forward, latching on to the twitching tip of the animal's tail and tugged firmly, receiving a startling yelp from behind the bushes, causing him to immediately release the appendage and stumble back, tripping over the basketball and falling flat on his rear. But what he saw shoot up from the bushes completely stole his breath away as he looked on with mesmerized pools of dark blue.

A girl...unlike anything he had ever seen. She had long pink hair that fell like a curtain to her waist, shimmering pools of grassy green eyes, and from what he could tell porcelain skin. She was clad in only a flimsy paper gown, like someone from a hospital institute.

Then he saw what it was he had grabbed on to...a tail. _She actually had a tail_! She stared at him with those beautiful eyes, and he felt himself swallow, hard. It was like she was seeing through him. Plump petal pink lips parted as she stared, like _he_ was the stranger from another planet.

"I, uh... I just..." for perhaps the first time in his life, the blond found himself at a loss for words.

"Y-you...what are...you?"

"Huh...what do you mean? I'm human..."

"H-human..." she repeated as if mulling this over.

"Yeah, uh, I'm Uzumaki Naruto,"

"S-Sakura..." she said slowly.

"Sakura...? Is that...your name?" the blond blinked curiously.

It was then that he heard the irritated voice of his best friend calling as the Uchiha came closer to their location. "Naruto, how long does it take to get a ball?"

"S-Sasuke," the blond whirled around to see the boy coming through the bushes, scowling. He looked pissed off and like he was about to say something, but one look at 'Sakura' and his words froze up in his throat.

"W-What the hell," he trailed off, his voice straining slightly.

"Uh, yeah. I found her when I went to get the ball...her name's Sakura, I think." he stated, scratching his head and blushing as he tried not to stare at the pretty young woman before them.

"Y-yes...I'm Sakura!" she exclaimed happily, a grin that showed sharp fangs flashing across her face.

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><p>The woman arrived gasping and out of breath, her knees knocking together as she rushed toward the man jotting down notes on his ever present clipboard. "D-doctor!" she wheezed, "Um, I'm s-sorry to bother you, b-but. I-it's Sakura..."<p>

"Yes, and what about her?" the man asked calmly as he continued writing.

"S-She's escaped! We can't find her anywhere," Instantly, the pen stopped moving across the paper, and his face became eerily stern. She gulped, now fearing him more than she ever had reason to before.

"D-doctor?"

"Contact the director. _Now_."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

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><p>"So, what are we supposed to do now?"<p>

"About what?" the clueless blond asked.

"Oh, I don't know. What about the weird girl with a fucking_ tail_ that just randomly popped out of nowhere?" the Uchiha hissed.

"I don't know," the blond shot back defensively. "And aren't _you_ supposed to be the genius?"

"_Dobe_. Intelligence has absolutely nothing to do with something like... _this_." the raven-haired teen growled, subtly glancing behind him at the strange girl a mere few feet away, sitting on all fours and watching them curiously. After finding "Sakura" as she was apparently called, the two boys had began to debate on where she'd come from, why she was wearing something so...exposing, and what she _was_ for that matter. Because obviously no normal girl had cat-like features and the beauty of a goddess such as this one did.

Currently, Sakura seemed content to sit and watch them. She had never seen humans around her age, not that she really knew what that was anyway, only that they didn't appear to be as old as those horrible white-coated sadists who'd made her life a living hell. Nor did they appear to be any threat.

She didn't know why she would have any trust in two complete strangers when there was no evidence to prove them as harmless individuals, but she didn't sense any danger from them, and so she chose not to flee. Studying them was enough to keep her amused anyway.

Their features were so contrastingly different, it fascinated her. The one that'd first approached her had hair the sunny yellow color of marigolds, startlingly deep blue eyes, and three thin lines stretched across each cheek. His skin was also strikingly tan in comparison to her own, or his companion's, for that matter. Speaking of which, the second male had jet black hair with subtle tints of navy that fell in thick bangs in the front and spiked towards the back. His onyx eyes were mesmerizing and his pale skin brought out his handsome features. As she continued to sit and stare at them, unknown to her, the two boys seemed to have reached a conclusion.

"I say we bring her back with us." the blond declared.

"Naruto, that may just be your _stupidest_ idea to date."

"Well, we can't just leave her here by herself! It's obvious she's lost, and what if something happens to her?" he argued.

"Then it wouldn't be our problem. For fuck's sake Naruto, look at what she's _wearing_. She's probably escaped from some psychiatric ward somewhere. She can't be normal, not with those _things_ growing out of the top of her head."

"Sasuke...have a heart, you bastard! Maybe someone did something to her and that's why she's like that. And anyway, she's a defenseless girl and I'm not leaving her here by herself to get kidnapped or raped or something!" Naruto declared triumphantly, crossing his arms over his chest and shooting his friend a dagger-sharp glare.

"Well, she's not coming back with us. I don't feel like explaining to my parents why I brought some..._cat girl_ home. It's hard enough reasoning with them about how I keep bringing home a delusional idiot." he grumbled.

"I thought they were going out of the country for some important business meeting, and it was just supposed to be your brother staying with you?"

"That's beside the point. No means no, and that's final."

"Fine then!" the blond huffed, stalking back over to the girl, who was still sitting there patiently. Her tail occasionally swished back and forth as her green eyes flickered with intense curiosity.

Naruto looked down at her innocent face and couldn't help but smile his trademark 'foxy-grin' , as many who knew the blond called it. "Hey uh, Sakura-chan..." he began, pausing to see her reaction at his adding of the honorific to her name. When she only continued to stare up at him in awe, he continued, "do you um...have anywhere to stay?" he scratched his head sheepishly.

Actually, he was supposed to be spending the weekend at Sasuke's place to work on their project since they had a week-long break coming up, and Naruto wanted to be free to goof off, bothersome homework aside. But...he hadn't counted on meeting a cute girl. Even if she was part animal-cat thing. In his mind, there was still no denying how unbelievably adorable she was, and to him, her unusual hair color just brought out her pretty face and abnormal animal-like traits in an even better way.

"S-stay?" she mumbled, blinking up at him with those large green eyes.

"Yeah," he nodded in confirmation, "you know, like...a house, where you go...to um, sleep and eat and stuff..." he trailed off, trying to paint a clearer picture in case she didn't quite understand.

Watching from a short distance, Sasuke mentally smacked himself in the face at the blond's usual idiotic antics. '_Moron._' he thought dryly.

"Mm..." Sakura closed her eyes in thought for a minute, trying to remember back to what she'd learned in the last month, along with the additional information she'd gathered through simple observation during her time spent locked in a lab cell. The scientist had taught her about simple concepts that would better help her gain an understanding of normal human society by showing her childish slideshows.

Each depicted a different scene or scenario which they would describe to her, using the slow, drawn-out tones of a superior individual explaining something to an invalid. She remembered bitterly how they'd patronizingly showed her a picture of an average "modern family" smiling placidly in front of a normal suburban home. A man, a woman and two children.

She had learned that this was a system in which humans lived called a 'family', and that each human was born, unlike her, from two separate people, who were known as 'parents'. A mother and father who served as the protectors and nurturers to young children. Never having had such individuals to guide and protect her, Sakura was only half able to grasp this particular concept, as she had no first-hand experience to draw from.

No one had ever shown any feelings of love, fondness or affection towards her. The only care they took in her well-being was making sure she didn't die so they wouldn't have to waste time and funds creating yet another nearly indestructible biogenetically engineered super-weapon.

It hadn't been easy to successfully create her in the first place, which was why the scientists took such measures in keeping her alive. She was number 067, because it took exactly that many efforts before they were able to fruitfully spawn a creature that made it past the test tube stage of the experiment. She came back to the present with a startled jolt, slowly shaking her head as a glazed look entered her eyes. "N-no. I...don't have a family." she said slowly, remembering the correct words to communicate.

A shocked and then painfully understanding look entered the blond's eyes. He, himself, had grown up without having ever known his biological parents, and although he now lived with his guardian and foster father Umino Iruka, he could still remember that empty void of loneliness, and those nights in the orphanage where he cried himself to sleep. Without thinking, he took the girl's smaller, and much more delicate hand in his, clutching it firmly. And although the Uchiha pretended to have no real interest in the situation after declaring his feelings for Naruto's idea, he had been listening intently all the while, and when he heard those last words in particular, it really struck a chord for some unknown reason.

Studying the pink-haired girl from the corner of his eyes, he sighed and hunched his shoulders. "Tch," he scoffed under his breath. He couldn't believe what he was about to say... "Fine, she can come." he muttered nonchalantly.

Hearing his friend mutter something, his friend turned to him, still holding the girl's hand. "I said, she can come too, ok." he snapped.

Naruto's blue eys widened excitedly, and then a bubbly grin broke out across his face. "Hey, thanks Sasuke-teme!" he laughed merrily, "You hear that Sakura-chan? You can come and stay with us if you want!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, alright," she smiled cutely, tilting her head. They wanted her to come with them...she couldn't believe they weren't running away in fear or cringing in disgust. Apparently, not all humans were like those scientists, after all. "Ar-ari-arigato!" she replied gratefully, smiling triumphantly as she recalled the proper term for thanking someone.

Naruto beamed, and began tugging her along as he started walking toward Sasuke, the Uchiha standing there blankly with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Whatever. You're still going to be responsible for her," he told him. "If anything happens to my house as a result of this, I swear I'll skin you alive."

Naruto gulped, something about the Uchiha's tone told him he was dangerously serious. He remembered once in junior high when they had accidentally touched lips briefly...he had barely gotten away with his life then, he really didn't want to relive that kind of pain.

They were halfway back to the mansion when Sasuke spoke again, "Dobe,"

"Yeah?" the blond replied, too giddy about having Sakura with them to care about being called the nickname he despised most.

"Just so you know, you owe me a new basketball."

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><p><strong>I think this was a pretty ok chapter, but I wanna know what you guys think. So please be sure to R&amp;R!<strong>


	3. Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

**Ok, I expected more reviews for last chapter, but I guess I just need to be patient. In the meantime, here's the next chapter.**

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><p><strong>Ch.3-<strong> Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

"Well, what do you think we should do now?" the blond asked aloud, laying on his friend's bed with his arms behind his head. Sasuke, sitting at his desk in his comfy chair, swirled around, scowling.

"I told you if we brought her back you'd have to be responsible for her. So now_ you_ need to figure out what to do with her, because I do _not_ want a lab mutant messing up the house," he pointed a finger toward the strange pink-haired girl, who was currently sniffing at a clothes hamper curiously. "Hey, get out of there." he ordered, seeing the young neko pull her head out with a pair of his boxers on her head. She jumped back with a yelp, barely missing being hit by the sneaker thrown in her direction.

"Sasuke, you bastard, are you _trying _to scar her!" Naruto yelled, jumping up from the bed to go to Sakura, who was huddled in a corner, tail wrapped around herself protectively and ears lowered.

"Hn. Part of watching her means making sure she doesn't get into any messes. Got it?" the Uchiha stated impassively. "I don't care if we _are_ on the second story Naruto, if you don't keep her out of trouble, I _will _toss her over the balcony." he assured.

The blond grunted in understanding, muttering something about heartless bastards under his breath, while carefully stroking the shivering girl's locks comfortingly. Tentatively, he ran a finger over a twitching ear in curiosity, and found it velvet soft to the touch.

Sakura seemed almost startled at the soft touch, but quickly seemed to relish the contact as she instinctively leaned forward, pressing her ear closer to the warm palm of his hand. The blond felt a small grin appear on his face as he began to rub the delicate ear between his thumb and forefinger, Sakura beginning to purr lightly in pure bliss.

"Ya know teme, maybe after I go home, I'll just take Sakura-chan with me." the blond looked over to his dark-haired friend, grinning at his own idea.

The brunette simply scoffed, "What, with your track record of keeping pets? She wouldn't last two days with you. You can't even remember to feed your fish, dobe."

"Hey, shut up you bastard! That was _one time_; that perv told me he'd take care of Toto-chan while I was away at camp. How was _I_ supposed to know the stupid pervert would totally forget and go out on dates instead?" the blond burst out, clearly outraged. "And besides, Sakura-chan is_ not_ a pet, she just happens to have cat ears and a tail."

Sasuke merely shook his head at this statement, wondering if Naruto knew just how much he sounded like an idiot. "Whatever, either way you wouldn't be able to take care of her without my help."

"But you're not even helping now, you-"

_Grwaaaah_

Both boys stopped bickering and looked at the silent pinkette, who was clearly embarrassed as she held a hand over her stomach.

"Oops...s-sorry." she mumbled, her ears lowering cutely and her large eyes seeming to sparkle. Naruto immediately started blushing, and even Sasuke started to feel a strangely warm feeling taking over his face.

Quickly shaking his head, he glanced at the duo with perfect aloofness, the very faint pink on his cheeks having worn off."So, it looks like she needs food. I'll go downstairs and see if I can find something in the kitchen." Sasuke declared, getting up from his seat and strolling to the door in all his graceful Uchiha glory.

"Great, can you bring me some miso ramen and maybe some spicy pork curry? I'm seriously starved after that game!"

"Tch. No way, you can get your own food when you go home." Sasuke said, walking out the door.

Naruto could feel his jaw drop, not believing his so called _friend's_ words. "_What? _But hey! What happened to me being a guest here and all that? _Teme_! I'm not going home for three more days!" he called after him. Sakura tilted her head curiously, studying Naruto's pissed off expression. He continued to sit there with his arms folded, grumbling to himself, until he suddenly bolted forward with his eyes widened, causing Sakura to jump slightly.

"Whoa, that was weird. Suddenly, my bladder feels like I just drank ten gallons of milk or something...better go empty the tank!" he grinned cheerfully, getting up and trotting toward the door the brunette had gone through. He paused before opening it, turning around to look at her, "I'm going to go to the bathroom down the hall, ok? So just stay put and I'll be right back," he told her before exiting.

Sakura stayed put obediently, sitting in a position similar to the one she'd seen the blond in earlier, crossed-legged, with her hands on the floor between her legs. She kept her tail curled in her lap neatly, and unlike the blond she wasn't slouching. To occupy herself, she gazed around the room, and couldn't help but marvel at all that those with enough wealth could afford.

Expensive-looking carpeting lined the floor, and the whole place was done in shades of navy with black undertones, a bit dark for her liking, but somehow suitable given the nature of its inhabitant. There was a giant emblem on the wall above the plush king-sized bed, presumably the family crest.

To the far left of the room was the grand desk where the dark-haired boy had been sitting, with its black leather office chair and shiny sleek computer set up on the desk. A pile of thick books sat neatly on the other side of the desk, and Sakura guessed it would be material from the facility young humans attended during the day she remembered from her studies back in the lab being referred to as "school".

To the far right was a spacious cubby for storing things that humans called a 'closet', and directly across from that in the opposite corner on the same side of the room the door was located, was a master bathroom, complete with marble countertops and floor, a vanity mirror, a full-sized Jacuzzi bathtub and shower, and of course the thing humans used called the toilet. Sakura wondered to herself why the sunny blond boy hadn't simply used _that_ room to use the restroom...?

She decided he must've forgotten.

The room also contained what the scientists taught her was a TV (an a rather large flat-screen one at that), where humans could watch a number of moving pictures with sounds, along with some sort of game system connected to it. But what really caught Sakura's eyes was the view of a grand balcony from beyond the dark navy drapes, the view of said balcony being one of a marvelous, long driveway, with iron gates to enter and exit the mansion's huge property.

The room was luxurious, three times the size of even the biggest 'studying room' which was basically a large white room where the scientists would put her through a number of different simulations ranging from survival to combat when she was still in her full feline form, and watch through a one-sided glass while she struggled for her life. She hated them more than anything at that time, when she couldn't see them, but felt their cold analytical gazes probing her battered form and scribbling down notes on their clipboards with great speed and detail.

It only served to remind her further of the barrier between herself and the 'normal' humans. Even when she'd gain the ability of human speech and the body of a beautiful teenage girl, they still treated her as a specimen rather than an equal, which she had fully expected, but somehow, she felt even more disgusted with them and with herself when she actually _looked _like them now. Sharing the same form as her tormentors was perhaps the most horrid punishment they could possibly inflict on her.

And yet, it was in this very same body that she had managed to escape after many long years of endless suffering. She had even managed to locate two humans who seemed to pose no threat, who actually seemed capable of..._kindness_ for a creature like her, even if one boy was rather moody and reluctant to begin with.

Now she had found somewhere to take shelter, at least for the time being, and for the first time in perhaps her whole life, she didn't feel the need to fight for her own survival.

As if in a trance, the cat girl slowly crawled forward on all fours, still not being used to the oddness of walking on two legs, and pressed her face to the sliding glass door, peeking out at the sprawling estate's front entrance with wonder. Never in her life had she witnessed the beauty of the outside world, and she was drinking in all she could with great excitement.

She knew that there had to be some way to get outside, but she hadn't yet mastered her new human hands. So she settled for pressed herself as close to the glass as possible, watching the outside world settle for the night as the sun sank and the birds sang there last songs of the day.

"Having fun?" asked a familiar bored voice.

The cat girl jumped, whirling around to see the Uchiha boy come strolling in carefully balancing a tray, which he placed on his bedside table. "I didn't really know what you wanted, so I just brought some rice balls and miso soup. That ought to hold you until later, right?" he questioned, not really expecting an answer, and feeling slightly vexed that he was talking to a girl with pink hair and _cat ears_ that seemed to have the same attention span and understanding of a five-year old. She was _almost_ as bad as Naruto, he mused.

He huffed slightly, blowing some of the long ebony bangs from his face, and stared at the wide-eyed, curious looking girl, who tilted her head at him in an attempt to understand, he realized. Carefully, he picked up the plate of rice-balls from the tray and offered it to her, with a low grunt. "Here," he muttered gruffly. "You're supposed to eat it." he explained as an afterthought, figuring she probably wouldn't get the gesture.

Sakura stared first at the curious food which she'd never seen before, then at the annoyed looking boy in front of her, then back to the plate of strange things that, even as plain and simple as they seemed to be, still made her hungry stomach growl with heavy anticipation.

Tentatively, she stretched her head forward toward the plate, allowing her dainty nose to sniff at the onigiri just as a cautious animal would sniff at a potential meal. Then unceremoniously, she bent down and bit into one, not bothering to use her still clumsy human hands, the temptation of food too great to pass up.

Sasuke looked upon her less than refined 'table etiquette' with a small scowl. This girl really had no grace whatsoever; she was by far probably the weirdest, most clueless female he had ever met. She was practically a wild animal in human form!

But then, with the ears and tail, whatever she was, it couldn't be far from it. Sakura smacked the food in her mouth rather messily, the crumbs and filling smeared all over her face. Still, seemingly oblivious, she beamed brightly up at him, and with a slight twitch of his eye, he thrust a napkin into her face.

"Here," he said gruffly. When she only blinked up at him in confusion, he began to get rather annoyed. "You're supposed to take it." he grunted. "It's to wipe your face off with."

Slowly, Sakura reached out a hand to take the cloth from his hand, holding it up to study with round eyes. Wipe your face with? But cats never needed anything more than a few quick licks of their tongues to keep them clean. Though obviously, she'd learned from her lessons at the lab that humans used a much different method to maintain hygiene.

They cleaned themselves with...ugh, _water_, of all things, a cat's worst nightmare. Secretly though, despite her instinctive caution towards any amount of liquid that went past her knees, she'd also been curious about the strange practice of taking 'baths' for a while. At the lab, the female assistants always washed her with a large wooden tub and some rough sponges, even after she'd transformed.

Clumsily, Sakura made circular motions all over her face, managing to wipe off any remaining traces of food, for the most part. She then found herself craving something to drink and, seeing the bowl of soup, raised it to her lips, trying to drink it down in one gulp.

Unfortunately, she soon discovered this in poor judgment, the hot broth scolding her tongue and making her draw back with a startled yowl. She dropped the bowl with a gasp, and Sasuke watched it fall to his priceless imported rug as if in slow motion. As Sakura continued to yelp and try to frantically wipe her tongue free of the hot soup, Sasuke stared at the slowly spreading stain on his rug, feeling his temperature rising steadily. The Uchiha stared and stared at the spot, Sakura, still partially preoccupied with trying to cool her tongue, looked to him with big watery eyes of inquisitiveness. "You...just spilled soup all over my floor." he finally said, his voice a low, chillingly calm tone, one that would make any normal person cringe and hide in fear. But Sakura, poor naive Sakura, looked on in puzzlement, honestly not understanding her fault. "Merew?" was the neko's response, her head tilted in confusion.

"All over...my priceless rug."

"Nyu...?"

"I...I'm going to kill you!"

And Sakura suddenly understood the human's intentions as he lunged at her viciously. Note to self: some humans are _very_ territorial!

Naruto had just come down the hall after his little bathroom trip, whistling a happy, if not slightly off-key tune, wondering when Sasuke would order some food. He'd already checked the fridge, and there was nothing there that suited his taste (why did Uchihas have to eat such boring food?), when he heard a noise. But not just any noise... a noise that sounded an awful lot like...

"Sakura?" he muttered aloud.

"_Nyaaaah!_" And there it was again!

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted with a start. Just _what the hell_ was Sasuke doing to her? "Hang on Sakura-chan, I'm coming!" he ran down the hall and all but broke the door in, not at all expecting the sight that greeted his eyes...

There, on the bed, was Sakura, in nothing but the flimsy dirty gown they'd found her in, with Sasuke on top of her, one hand on the bottom of the gown, and the other pinning her wrists to the bed, in a very...inappropriate position.

Both looked up at his dramatic entrance, Sakura grinning crookedly in what could only be described as relief, while Sasuke stared at the blond impassively, save for the slight twitch of his brow. "Dobe, was breaking the door in...really necessary?"

The blond scowled, pointing an accusatory finger in the Uchiha's direction. "Hey! Don't give me that, you freaking pedobear! What the hell do you think you're doing to Sakura-chan? Get off!" and without waiting for Sasuke to move, he shoved his friend off the petite pink-haired neko, helping her sit up.

"Are you ok, Sakura-chan? Teme didn't do anything dirty to you did he? He really should be fixed by now, but I didn't realize Mr. Human Icecube Uchiha had turned into such a _pervert_. Obviously, you've been reading Kakashi-sensei's porno books." Naruto continued to cluck over Sakura like an overprotective mother hen, stroking the long pink locks and holding her close to his chest while leering at the Uchiha from over her head. Sasuke, who was sitting back on the carpet, looked completely unamused, merely grunting at Naruto's antics.

"Dobe. She freaked out and started trying to claw my eyes out. It was either pin her down or be blinded." Naruto raised an eyebrow at the Uchiha and snorted.

"Yeah right, I bet _you_ just wanted to molest Sakura-chan."

"Hn. You know, she can't keep wearing..._that_." Sasuke gestured to the flimsy flannel gown. "So assuming she can't do it herself, one of us is going to have to give her a bath. I vote you." Sasuke told the blond uncaringly.

"_W-What?_" Naruto practically screeched. Sure, he'd seen pictures of naked girls before. In fact plenty of times, when he was over at his godfather Jiraiya's house. But that was just it; those were pictures. And this...this was...was the_ real _thing.

He eyed Sakura's lithe form, endowed with very noticeable, beautiful curves, not hidden even in that ugly papery gown. He swallowed hard. How could he even_ undress_ her without losing self-control?

Downstairs, Uchiha Itachi had just arrived home. As usual, the maids took his coat and put his briefcase in his office. His usual cup of green tea served with several sticks of dango was waiting for him when he walked into the kitchen, and as he sat down to eat, a young maid told him (while stuttering, blushing and trying not to ogle at his perfect face) his brother's friend, Uzumaki Naruto, was staying over.

Inwardly he groaned as he took another bite from the stick of dango. The loud blond was_ just_ what he needed after a long day at the office. Tch. _As if_.

He ate a simple dinner of sushi after that, not being particularly hungry, and stood to his full height to make his way up the stairs. The servants bowed as he passed and he gave a curt nod of acknowledgement.

Life for the Uchiha heir was pretty predictable. He knew what was expected of him, what his duties were, he knew that when his parents had left for their business trip to Europe that morning, they'd leave him in charge of the house, and that his foolish little brother, who was always competing with him, would sulk and ignore him as much as possible.

He reached the top of the staircase, one hand on the banister as he thought of whether or not to go and talk to his little brother. A loud commotion from one of the guest bathrooms drew his attention and he gave a quiet sigh. It seemed Naruto had already made himself right at home... "Whoa, s-sorry!" he heard the blond squeak.

"Naruto, you fucking idiot!" came his brother's angry response. "Now there's water all over the floor, and _she's still not clean!"_

"Wait, s-she's...Sasuke l-look,"

"Shut up, dobe!" he heard his brother hiss, and then there was just the awkward sloshing of the water in the tub.

He raised an eyebrow; wait, that was different, since when did Sasuke and Naruto shower...at the same time? And who was this "_she_"? He cautiously edged down the hall, to stand outside the cracked bathroom door. Itachi wasn't one to eavesdrop, but he just _had_ to know what his little brother was up to.

Never before had Sasuke brought a girl to their house, always saying they were annoying, ditzy fan girls. And if there really was a girl in their home, what was she doing with his brother and Naruto in the bathroom. His curiosity peeked further when he heard the next mutterings from behind the door. "T-They're gone...they just disappeared." he heard Naruto saying in disbelief. "Sakura-chan, h-how did you do that?"

He heard the indistinct sound of a female speaking, and then Sasuke mumbling something in response. It was then that he decided to make his entrance, lightly placing his fingertips on the door with the barest of contact, enough for it to swing open ever so slightly. "Sasuke," he stepped into the large bathroom, and three sets of eyes immediately whirled to look at him.

Two looked like a pair of deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, while the third verdant pair of slanted eyes simply stared at him curiously. He surveyed the scene with carefully placed apathy, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The first thing he noticed was the girl sitting in the tub and leaning over the side, her pastel_ pink_ hair covered with suds, and water splashed everywhere on the floor as she turned.

She had the most appealing eyes he had ever seen, and an innocent heart-shaped face. Naruto was sprawled back on the floor, his hands behind him for support, his face red and a towel on his wet lap to hide his growing..._'male problem'_.

And Sasuke stood over the tub as if to block the mysterious girl from view, a fluffy towel thrown over one arm, and the other out to his side awkwardly as if in a delayed reaction to hide the strange girl sitting in the tub, who leaned to the side to look at Itachi from behind Sasuke's back.

"Aniki...you're back." he said flatly, attempting to keep his poker-face on even if he was mentally panicking.

"Sasuke...what is this...?" he asked slowly, his eyes flicking to glance at the naked girl, then back at his brother.

"Hi, I'm Sakura!" the bubbly girl piped up, waving happily to the raven-haired man, a toothy grin on her adorable face.

Itachi stared; whoever this girl was, she was way too damn stupid for her own good.

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><p><strong>An awkward ending for an awkward chapter. Not so sure about this one...tell me what you think so far, and if I think I get enough reviews, I'll try to update faster. Ok? Well, tah-tah for now~<strong>


	4. The Cat's Meow

**Sorry it took a while. College keeps me busy... group projects **_**suck**_**. ugh...! Now that Itachi has come in, how will things go for Sakura and the boys? Well, why don't you read to find out?**

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><p><strong>Ch. 4- <strong>The Cat's Meow

Sasuke sat across from Naruto on the large antique couch in his father's study. In the Uchiha head's favorite armchair sat Itachi, delicately sipping a cup of steaming herbal tea. He gazed at them with placated crimson eyes from over the rim of the cup, and Sasuke found himself grinding his teeth silently as he waited for him to speak.

He was sure his brother deliberately dragging out this whole process just to irritate him. Naruto, fidgeting beside him, look equally as disturbed, probably thinking about Sakura and what was going to happen to the pink-headed cat girl now that Itachi had discovered their little secret. Well, sort of.

He still didn't know that Sakura wasn't quite human... and Sasuke was planning to keep it that way. He had walked in on them trying to teach Sakura the ins and outs of bathing, and only stared in vague amusement as the bubbly girl greeted him cheerfully. Luckily for them, it seemed that Sakura's strange ears and tail disappeared in water, otherwise, their situation could've been much worse.

With a smirk and a shake of his head, he'd called for the head maid- who had quickly shooed the young men away-and instructed her to take care of the girl as a guest. He'd then turned to his brother and the blond with a cold urgency in his eyes, silently demanding them to explain.

So they now sat in their father's study, with he and Naruto (but mostly himself since he didn't trust the dobe) hastily putting together a believable story that explained why Sakura was there.

"So you say this girl, Sakura Haruno, is a classmate of yours who is a transfer student from overseas." Itachi eyed them both carefully, and Sasuke nodded calmly, subtly elbowing Naruto, who also quickly agreed. They had made up the last name as an extra precaution, since they knew Itachi might ask if he'd ever heard of the family. "And she just recently moved back to Konoha," Sasuke nodded.

"But I'm truly curious little brother, as to why she is here, and why you were watching her bathe..."

Sasuke felt his face heat up considerably, not so much from embarrassment as irritation. Itachi's lips quirked, knowing just what to do to push his brother's buttons. "I was not..._watching_ her. She asked for help, since the shower systems are different overseas."

Naruto nodded vigorously, "Yeah! We weren't gonna rape Sakura-chan, believe it!" Sasuke shot him a warning look but continued.

"And she's here because we were assigned to help her get readjusted to living here, and she's staying here during break. Her family still hasn't settled in yet, and they sent Sakura overseas alone so she could start school here." Sasuke finished smoothly, not showing the slightest signs of nervousness as he calmly explained Sakura's story.

Itachi closed his eyes, thinking. "I suppose since our parents are gone, and I am supposed to be watching you, I really should be more attentive to your personal affairs when it involves bringing a stranger home without my approval. However, I do not see this girl as a problem, so long as she does not make a nuisance of herself."

Sasuke's face remained blank, but inside he was overcome with relief. So Itachi didn't really care that Sakura was here as long as they didn't bother him. Good.

Naruto looked confused, not really following the conversation, until Sasuke gave him a nod and his eyes lit up excitedly. "Alright!" he pumped a fist in the air.

Sasuke grunted, not showing any outer signs of caring. And for a minute, the room seemed a little less tense. Naruto felt like jumping up and down, but a knock on the door interrupted his happy outburst. All eyes turnbed as the door slowly creaked open and a maid timidly peeked in. "Sorry to interrupt Itachi-sama. We've prepared the young lady as you asked." she said, bowing.

Even Sasuke couldn't help but stare as she moved aside to reveal a beautiful pink-haired girl standing behind her. Sakura looked around curiously, unaware of the eyes watching her. When she spotted her two new friends, she waved cheerfully, a toothy grin on her heart-shaped face. "Naruto, Sasuke!" she squealed, running towards them.

"S-Sakura-chan?" Naruto gasped, his cheeks pink. The girl wore a simple light pink yukata with a blue floral pattern, her long hair still damp. It was simple, but on Sakura, it looked somehow elegant in a way that made him stare.

She happily skipped right up to them and plopped down on Naruto's lap, much to the blond's absolute pleasure (and terror).

Sasuke gave Naruto a menacing look, while Itachi's face remained impassive as he watched the pink-haired girl throw her arms around the goofy blond's neck. "Hi Naruto!" she chirped, leaning forward and licking his cheek innocently. The poor boy was seeing stars as he felt her hot, wet tongue against his skin.

His whole body convulsed. Sasuke gritted his teeth, seeing this. Great, they'd averted one problem only to be faced with another: Sakura was still far too naive and had the mind of a three-year old. There was no way a girl her age wouldn't raise suspicion with her insanely child-like antics.

Not to mention all the perverts out there who'd be all too happy to take advantage if given the chance. Naruto, though loud-mouth and annoying, wasn't so bad. Though he still did have a somewhat perverted streak after being around his lecherous godfather, Jiraiya.

"Sakura," he spoke, and her head instantly turned to him, the same cheerful, oblivious smile still in place. "Come here. Now." he commanded, and as he'd expected, she obeyed. The girl was far too trusting for her own good.

She walked over to him, Naruto pouting at the loss of contact and glaring at his raven-haired rival. Suddenly, she plopped herself down on his lap, looking up at him eagerly. "Sasuke?" she questioned ingenuously.

He fought to remain unaffected, and ignore the sensations he now felt spreading throughout his body, as she leaned slightly into him, no doubt completely unaware of the turmoil she was causing him.

He cleared his throat slightly, ignoring the fact that her chest was pressed almost flush against him, "Sakura, from now on, do not approach anyone unfamiliar unless Naruto or I says it's ok. When outside this house, remain close at all times, understood?" She studied him with her wide verdant eyes before giving him a toothy grin and nodding vigorously.

"Ok, Sasuke!" she happily agreed. She really liked these humans. Even the cold, dark-haired boy was still relatively nice to her in his own way. Nothing like those cruel scientists.

She trusted the two boys fully, even if she had barely known them a day. Her instincts told her they were nothing like her past tormentors, and that was enough for Sakura to want to be with her new friends as much as possible.

"Well, it seems you'll certainly have your hands full..." Sakura tilted her head curiously and Sasuke glared hard at the older man who had spoken. Itachi gracefully stood up from his seat to cross the room. "Haruno-san, I ask that you try to avoid any...incidents while you are here." he said flatly, glancing back at the girl from over her shoulder.

She stared at his smooth face, mesmerized by the bottomless dark eyes that seemed so like Sasuke's, yet so different. He noticed her blank stare and continued, "I am Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. Excuse me for not introducing myself previously. I did not expect a guest."

Sakura only beamed at him, her arms resting on Sasuke's shoulders for balance. "Hi, Itachi-san!" He nodded to her briefly in greeting before exiting the room.

Sakura continued to smile after his back while Sasuke growled, his hands covering hers as he squeezed firmly. "Bastard.." he grumbled.

Naruto watched his friend curiously, wondering what had come over him. And why was he still holding Sakura?! A while ago, he didn't even_ like_ her!

He better not be trying to steal his girl. Yes, the blond had already decided Sakura was going to be his. She was just so cute, sweet, and funny, it was hard not to want to squeeze her to death. "Oi, Sasuke-teme. Now that that's over...where is Sakura-chan going to stay tonight? I mean, you think she'll really be ok sleeping by herself?"

Sasuke shot Naruto an annoyed looked before straightening in his seat, causing Sakura to slide off his lap slightly. "Of course, dobe. Did you think _you'd _be sleeping with her?" Naruto pouted, "Well, I just thought we could...uh-"

"Forget it." the raven-haired teen interrupted. "She'll stay in the guest room across the hall. If anything happens, she'll be nearby."

"Fine," Naruto huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "What about me then? I kinda forgot to bring my sleeping bag, so..."

Sasuke stared at the blond for a while, before a faint, twisted smirk curled his lips.

"S-Sasuke-teme...oi! W-why are you l-lookin' at me like that!"

**-XOXOXO-**

"Are you kidding me?! Why can't I stay in the other guest room or something?" the blond whined, staring down at the flat bed on the floor in the middle of his best friend's room. Sakura watched the animated blond in wonder, amused by his lively antics.

"It's either this or the closet." Sasuke replied coolly.

"Urgh! Fine, but if I wake up with a backache, _you're _going to pay for me to get a message!" the blond pointed a finger in the Uchiha's face accusingly. Sasuke simply slapped his hand away with an annoyed grunt.

"I'm taking Sakura to the guest room. Don't touch anything." he commanded, grabbing her wrist firmly and pulling her across the hall. He ignored the complaints Naruto continued to whine at his back.

He pushed the door open to see the room looking untouched. It figured, this guest room wasn't used too often. Only when his cousins visited, really.

He let go of her wrist as they walked through the door and allowed her to look around, her eyes wide and shining. "Oooh!" she cooed excitedly, rushing around and touching everything that caught her eye. He watched her crouch down on all fours and began to sniff at things, inwardly groaning. This whole keeping her "true identity" a secret thing wasn't going to be easy.

"This is where you will stay." he told her, gesturing around the room with a nod of his head. "You sleep in the bed, and the bathroom is over there." he pointed to a door near the right side of the room. "I presume you now know how to use one by yourself?"

She nodded, bounding around on two feet again. "Nice ladies showed Sakura everything!"

He nodded, silently commending the servants on a job well done. At least that was one less problem to worry about. Now, if only they could get her to act more like a human, _not _a cat...

"Alright, if you need something, I'll be across the hall. Go to bed and we'll try to figure out what to do with you in the morning." he rubbed his head tiredly before walking toward the door. Before he could reach it, however, he was stopped by a small, soft touch on his wrist.

He looked back to see Sakura staring at him with large, pleading eyes. "Sasuke going?" she asked, sounding so pitiful he didn't even want to look her in the eyes.

"No. I'll be across the hall. Now go to bed." his voice was calm and flat, as he carefully pushed her toward the bed. She gave him one last puppy-eyed look before crawling into the middle of the bed and curling up on top of the covers much like a cat would.

He shook his head, not bothering to correct her sleeping position. He walked toward the door and flipped out the light, closing it behind him. In the dark, her bright eyes glittered like gemstones as she remained awake, trying not to think of the horrible images from her past. After what felt like hours, her eyes drifted shut, and she fell into a restless sleep.

**-XOXOXO-**

Somewhere, hundreds of miles away in a hidden location, a team of scientists surveyed a screen of monitors, some typing rapidly at keyboards, while others looked at the flashing screens and recorded what they saw.

There was jumbled chattering as they all frantically searched for something, but the din fell into silence when a certain white-haired man wearing classes walked in. His shoes against the tiled floor was the only sound in the room before he spoke. "Well, any luck getting a read on the location?"

One researcher, still facing the monitors, shook their head rapidly. "No sir, so far, the signal in 067's tracking chip is still very weak. We can't get a proper location reading. It's like something's blocking it, or it's somehow been disabled." the man mumbled.

The glasses-wearing scientist's mouth set into a grim line, the glint of the light hiding his eyes behind the frames.

"Impossible..." he muttered. "That tracking chip we implanted is virtually indestructible. The only way to destroy it is if I or someone else who designed codes removed it manually, or if she dies. But since _she's_ almost indestructible, and very few people have knowledge of the technology we use here, I doubt either is possible." he brought a hand to his chin in thought.

"No, she must be somewhere near some kind of advanced satellite system that's blocking our feeds...Keep searching!" he barked. "Sooner or later she will have to leave her hiding place, and her signal will show up again. I want a 24-hour surveillance team on duty, and daily updates." he commanded, strutting back out of the room.

The remaining scientists all looked to each other, no one wanting to stay up watching monitors 24/7, but also not wanting to face Kabuto's wrath.

"So, how do we decide who has the first surveillance duty?' one asked, scratching his head.

"Easy, we flip a coin." another man suggested.

The others shrugged, "Works for me."

As they decided to do a coin toss, one scientist shook his head, muttering to his companion, "Geez, that guy is seriously uptight...I'd hate to get on his bad side."

"Man, I know...I only wanted to intern here for college credit, but he gives me the creeps, and I'm too scared to quit."

"Hey, when's the last time you think he got lucky?" one bold scientist asked, chuckling quietly.

The younger one's eyes widened, shaking his head furiously."I _so _don't even wanna go there!"

**-XOXOXO-**

"Hey, it sure does seem like a while since any of us scored, huh?" a teenage boy sighed, chatting idly with his friends.

"Why bring that up? Girls are too much of a drag anyway..."

"Hah! It's exactly that kind of attitude that keeps you single, Shikamaru!" a grinning brunette elbowed his friend in the ribs teasingly. "You know, she may be a bit over the top, but I heard Ino might have a thing for you!"

"Yeah, like Shikamaru would ever even be motivated to_ talk_ to a girl, much less date one!" a hefty guy snorted.

"Well, what about _you _Chouji? I don't see you trying to charm the ladies?" the same brown-haired guy with the red tattoos on his face said.

'Eh," he shrugged, munching on some potato chips. "I haven't found any I'm interested in yet." The group shared a look. That is, until one of them happened to look across the street... "Whoa," he gave a low whistle. "Hot babe at ten o' clock!" he grinned, standing up to get a better look.

The rest of the boys looked too, and they had to admit, the girl on the other side of the street _was _one exotic-looking beauty. Long pink hair, and from what they could tell, smooth porcelain skin. She wore a lime green sweater with purple stripes that fell off her creamy bare shoulders, a purple mini-skirt, and knee-high green striped socks. She seemed to be skipping along without a care in the world, smiling giddily at everything her round eyes saw.

They all continued to stare, some practically drooling, until a keen-eyed boy with pale silver eyes caught sight of two figures trailing closely behind the girl and glaring at anyone who looked at her the wrong way. "Isn't that Uchiha and Naruto?" he murmured to himself, drawing the groups attention.

"What?!" the brown-haired, tattooed male yelled in disbelief. Sure enough, their friends and classmates, the blond and the raven haired boy, were walking behind the pink-haired girl at a close distance. Even more surprisingly though, was that each male toted several different sized shopping bags from well-known designer stores.

"How could they possibly get to her first?!" he whined.

"It seems they're rather familiar with her, indeed. " a quiet boy wearing sunglasses and a long coat that covered most of his face spoke up for the first time.

Across the street, Naruto and Sasuke followed behind Sakura, watching as she skipped along. They'd decided that if she was going to stick around and blend in, she'd need regular clothes. Walking down the streets of Konoha in a yukata wasn't exactly the way to not stand out.

So they decided to take the pinkette shopping early the next morning. They'd taken her in several well-known fashion stores, each time the girls working their staring at them with hearts in their eyes before looking at Sakura jealously. Sasuke ordered them to make her look like a casual teenage girl, her current outfit being the result.

They'd already bought at least two weeks worth of clothes, letting the female workers pick out any _intimate_ female items she might need like panties and bras. Sakura was now simply enjoying the rest of her shopping trip, skipping down the streets merrily, with her two guardians not far behind. She stopped in front of a cute, brightly colored shop when a delicious smell wafted through the air, catching her attention.

Instantly, she was standing with her nose pressed against the glass, her breath fogging the window, Sasuke and Naruto scowling as they noticed her somewhat short skirt ride up slightly, and some males passing by stop to take in the view. One evil, red-eyed glare from Sasuke was enough to send them on their way again. "Sakura-chan," Naruto called, coming up behind her, "Do you want to go in?"

She looked at him eagerly, and he was sure if her tail was still there, it would be swishing in excitement. "Alright then," he switched all the bags to one arm so he could take her hand in his, leading her for the door. "Hey, aren't you comin' teme?"

Sasuke merely gave him a look, standing outside the shop with arms folded. "I don't do sweets." he stated simply.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Right, sorry. Forgot you'd melt into a puddle of emoness if you ever touched anything sweet." he dragged Sakura into the shop, chuckling.

Sasuke waited outside, looking impatient and glaring at any females who giggled as they walked past him. So far, taking care of Sakura had been a real chore. He'd never willingly spent this much time around a girl in his life, not counting his beloved mother of course.

He secretly had to admit, though, seeing how hard it was to be a girl by watching Sakura, he had gained a tiny bit of appreciation for what they did, as well as a _great_ deal of gratitude that he wasn't one.

"Sasuke?" he looked up, and instantly felt like punching something. A whole group of his male classmates were approaching him , looking curious. Well, why not? It wasn't everyday you saw the cold Uchiha Sasuke toting shopping bags from designer boutiques and standing outside a sweet shop like someone's faithful manservant, after all.

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><p><strong>I didn't really like the way this chapter ended...but hopefully next chapter will be better. : Please REVIEW!**


	5. Pretty Kitty

**Wow, a rare treat for you all—another longer chapter after an extended break from the story! Enjoy and be grateful~!**

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><p><strong>Ch. 5:<strong> Pretty Kitty

Naruto watched as the giddy pink-haired girl's eyes trailed over the sweets sitting in the display case. He had to admit, they _were _pretty mouth watering. He grinned when he saw Sakura eying a particularly scrumptious piece of angel food cake with whip cream and a cherry on top.

He was just about to offer to get if for her when an all too familiar voice broke the innocent moment, "Hey, welcome to the Sweet Shack, can I—wait, what are you doing here, loser?" Naruto instantly felt his temper flare. Of all the people they had to run into, it _would _be Sasuke's cocky lackey, Suigetsu.

He really didn't see why the Uchiha would ever be bothered with that guy. Or the redheaded bimbo named Karin who always clung to him. The giant orange-haired dude that didn't talk much wasn't really a pest, just freaky. They followed Sasuke everywhere.

The Uchiha's personal rag-tag posse. Personally, the blond had no idea what purpose hanging out with them served since they were all useless, but Sasuke always claimed that there was a special reason he let them follow him around everywhere. Naruto rolled his eyes at this thought. Yeah, right, like stroking his ego maybe?

But back to the situation at hand. He believed he owed Suigetsu an insult. "I could ask you the same thing," he sneered. "I always thought the only guys that worked in places like this were..." he let the sentence trail off as he eyed the older boy suspiciously.

"Watch your mouth, you runt! This job pays good pocket money, and a lot of babes come in here." Suigetsu retorted angrily.

Naruto smirked, going in for the kill. "Bet ya they all think the same thing. And it's _not_ that you're so hot they want to jump you."

Suigetsu tried to compose himself enough not to grab the blond by his shirt collar and drag him over the counter to slam his head into the glass.

Instead, he focused on a bright-eyed, pink haired girl nearby, who was staring at the desserts curiously, her tongue occasionally darting out to run them over her teeth. How had he not noticed _her_ walk in? She was hot!

He sauntered over to the other end of the counter, closer to where she was, and ignored the blond's venomous glare. "Hey, see anything you like?" he asked casually, trying to get a better look at her cleavage as she leaned closer to the glass. '_I know I do…_'

Her vivid green eyes glanced up at him, wonderingly. "Ch-chocolate?" she pointed at a double fudge chocolate brownie behind the glass, covered with chocolate sprinkles. Her toothy grin was childish, but charming. It reminded him of a Cheshire Cat. "Uh, yeah. It's double fudge. You want it?" Suigetsu asked, trying to sound cool.

How the hell did Sasuke get so many girls, when he didn't even attempt to woo them? The guy just walked by and girls were already melting at his feet. It wasn't fair! But at least he had a chance with _this _gorgeous beauty. Sure, she seemed like she may not have been the brightest, but with a body like that, she didn't have to be. Cute but just a little ditzy was just the way he liked 'em anyway.

Sakura didn't seem to notice the leering look he was sending her, pressing her palms against the glass and watching the brownie with intent, predatory eyes. Her breath caused a small cloud of fog, and Naruto approached her from behind when he saw her skirt lifting again. Sure, he wouldn't mind it so much if they weren't in public.

But there was no way in hell Suigetsu or anybody else was gonna see Sakura-chan's underwear with him around. Hell, he didn't even want Sasuke to see it. He may have acted like he wasn't interested in girls most of the time, but he'd been way too touchy-feely with Sakura lately. So the blond trusted no one but himself with the cute little pinkette.

He planted himself firmly behind Sakura, so there was no chance anybody else would get a look at the girly, strawberry patterned underwear, before placing a hand on her shoulder, firmly. His blue eyes were dark and challenging, just daring Suigetsu to try and make a move.

For his part, the silver-haired boy seemed surprised the two were so close, then he gave Naruto an annoyed scowl. '_The hell does that brat think he's doing? No way he got to her already!'_

"Here, Sakura-chan, why don't you get the 'chocolate cappuccino explosion' cake?" he suggested. Then, his eyes twinkled darkly at Suigetsu. "Then we can _share_ it," he added, smirking.

Oblivious as always, the neko turned teenage girl smiled brightly at him. Taking this as a sign she agreed, Naruto smugly ordered Suigetsu to give him the biggest slice they had. However much the older boy detested being ordered around by the likes of _him_, he complied, simply because he needed the job.

When he gave Naruto the correct change, he made sure to slam it down on the counter and shove the plastic container at the blond, muttering a terse, "Have a nice day." Naruto led Sakura back out, where Sasuke was waiting against the front wall outside.

They stepped out to find the Uchiha practically being accosted by a group of teenage boys, Naruto instantly seeming to recognize them as he narrowed his eyes and maneuvered Sakura further behind him, out of sight.

"About time," Sasuke muttered as he spotted Naruto exiting the shop. He wouldn't allow the swell of relief he felt inside to seep into his voice. The other boys turned too, and it was the brunette with the somewhat feral looking face that immediately began bombarding Naruto with questions.

"Hey, where's that girl we saw you with earlier?" Kiba all but barked in his face. Naruto scowled, shoving the boy away from him and wiping his face of spit.

"What are you talkin' about mutt boy?" he feigned innocence.

Obviously the others weren't buying it, as they continued to study the blond suspiciously. Sakura, ever curious, attempted to peek from over Naruto's broad shoulder, not quite able to see the boy causing the commotion in front of them. She sniffed the air daintily and noticed the faint smell of dog on him. Her hair instantly bristled, and her sharp teeth bared unconsciously.

"That's her there, isn't it?" another boy with long, brown hair and strangely translucent eyes spoke. He had obviously spotted the petal pink hair and verdant eyes glowing at them when she looked. Naruto cursed the Hyuga boy, and Sasuke seemed to tense up, ready for a confrontation.

She tilted her head curiously at him. She thought he was human, but those eyes looked like they could've been the kind of sinister thing Kabuto would make at the lab. A small, low hiss escaped her lips at the thought of the evil scientist.

Kiba noticed this and cocked a brow, wearily. "Uh, did she just hiss?"

"She's telling you to back off, Kiba." Sasuke replied, his eyes hard as he joined Naruto to flank Sakura from the other side. She was now fully behind them, not able to see much of anything from over _both _of their shoulders. She gave a plaintive whine in protest, but it went ignored.

"I've never known you to care much for the opposite sex, Uchiha. The girl must be special." Neji spoke, his voice almost smug, mocking. Sasuke felt his blood heat up at his rival's voice. He and the Hyuga had been feuding since middle school.

He grabbed Sakura's wrist and yanked her to his side, beginning to walk. Naruto quickly followed, and Sakura shot curious looks to the boys behind them from over her shoulder.

She still wasn't the most coordinated on her new feet, and Sasuke dragging her down the sidewalk didn't help her constant tripping. Much to the two boys' annoyance, their classmates seemed to be casually following behind them.

"What's the rush, really? So Sasuke finally got a girl, so what? I've seen better anyway." Shikamaru mumbled, shrugging. Kiba went to smack Shikamaru across the back of the head and Lee gave a loud gasp.

"How could you not feel spellbound at seeing such a lovely creature?!" he exclaimed, his thick eyebrows shooting into his hairline, perplexed. "Surely, a blossom so beautiful and rare is not one so easily dismissed for the likes of far less youthful maidens." he continued, causing most of the guys to groan.

"Lee, you realize we don't know what the hell you're talking about, right?" Kiba stated blandly. "But come on, man. What are you, _gay_?" he whirled on Shikamaru. "You can't tell me she wasn't hot?"

Choji, observed the girl being pulled by the two males several feet in front of them, who were obviously doing their best to avoid them. "Well, she is kinda cute." he seemed thoughtful before adding, "Could've had a little more meat on her bones, though."

"Meat…is that all you think about?" Shikamaru chuckled mirthlessly.

"Well hey, who doesn't like their girls a little well-rounded. Food or women, my motto is, the more meat, the better." The Akamichi nodded, seemingly proud of his answer.

"It seems they've gotten away." Shino said quietly, drawing everyone's attention to the fact that the trio they had been tailing seemed to have disappeared in the crowd.

Kiba stared, slack-jawed, before slapping himself in the face with a groan. "Ah, that's just—and I didn't even get her name!"

"Eh…" Shikamaru shrugged, glad that troublesome ordeal was over.

"Hm, I wonder if she'll be attending our school then." Neji seemed to ask himself. All the boys looked at him before wondering the same thing. The mysterious pink-haired beauty had definitely left her impression.

_~XoXoXo~_

_Remote Location: Lab_

"G-got it…we got it!" a man groggily mumbled before suddenly bolting straight up in his seat. Several of his colleagues swiftly gathered around behind him, and one of them pressed a button to contact the lab Head's office with the news.

His silver-haired second in command appeared on the large screen before them, looking terse as ever. "What?" he barked. "I suggest you not contact me unless you've made progress. Master Orochimaru is not happy that you somehow managed to bumble a project he's invested countless time and millions of yen into."

The man on the other end of the telecommunicator gulped loudly, trembling at the thought of their boss. He was much scarier than Kabuto, by far. He had sharp features, and golden eyes like a snake waiting to strike. He appeared calm and diplomatic on the surface, but underneath the gentlemanly business man facade lay the stone-cold, viper-like heart of a true sadist.

Rumor had it that years ago, he had managed to create a female experiment similar to Sakura, but not as strong or intellectually advanced. As a result, she died during her training, and the scientists responsible were forced to become the replacements in his cruel, painful tests.

"W-we managed to pick up a signal o-on experiment 065's tracker, sir." One of the braver scientists explained.

Kabuto arched an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat. He seemed a bit calmer, but not much. It was really hard to tell. "Well, did you get a location reading? Where is she?"

"W-we think she's in the Fire Country now…in the city of Konoha." A wicked smile appeared on Kabuto's face, and the scientists felt their hearts clench with terror.

"To have made it from our secret facility in Sound all the way to Konoha in just under a week…it's impressive. No doubt Master Orochimaru-sama will be most pleased."

"B-but—" another scientist began, and Kabuto's fierce gaze fell upon her, causing her to stumble back and away from the screen.

"_But…what_?" he repeated, his tone deadly.

"We've also discovered the reason why her signal had been blocked. R-remember when we tried to remotely rewire her tracking chip to make her return on her own will and our entire network was attacked instead and we went offline for fifteen hours? W-well… S-She was near an incredibly-advanced satellite system s-sir. Any piece of technology that normally e-emits a locatable signal on our maps is completely scrambled and useless once it comes into contact with the five-hundred mile radius perimeter air field."

Kabuto looked thoughtful as the team of researchers watched him lean forward so his glasses glinted in the way they did whenever he thought of something serious. "Only a few select people outside the military have the kind of equipment capable of putting up such a high-powered barrier. It would have to be someone who's a prominent figure-head and has facilities with very top-notch security systems or programs to protect their houses from home invasion through hacking."

Another scientist nodded. "We suspected the same thing sir. Which is why we n-narrowed it down… The Uchiha and Hyuga families both have large businesses with technology capable of completely disarming our own tracking network on such a large scale."

"Continue." Kabuto demanded, already not liking where this was going. Did their little kitty really manage to hide somewhere within that vicinity, undiscovered? Did she acquire help from the outside who knew enough about their underground research organization to be able to screw with them like this? Or was it just one of her nine lives full of luck?

"W-well, as you know the Hyuga family is an international technology f-firm that has manufactured some of the most innovative military-authorized technology for over a century." Kabuto growled impatiently. Of course he knew this! The whole damn world knew about Hyuga Hiashi, the billionaire who'd created the world's first self-sustaining photon energy core.

"A-And the Uchiha…well, they do have the largest private military in the world. They could also easily shut down our programs with their satellites. B-but we don't know which one is responsible, or even if the counter-probing was intentional."

Kabuto's image suddenly seemed to shake, and the team watched with wonder as his face, steady as a stone, suddenly chipped enough for a nasty sneering look to take its place. "Did you say _counter-probe_? Have we been _probed _you fucking incompetents?!"

The whole lab was so quiet you could hear a rat scurrying across carpet from miles away. The scientists looked around desperately, no one wanting to speak, but for Kabuto the silence was enough to confirm his suspicions. "Every one of you, as of this moment, is fired. Have the head researcher report to the director's office at once, and the rest of you get out of my sight." And with that, the screen turned off, and all the trembling lab employees stared nervously at each other.

"W-who wants to call him back to tell him the head r-researcher already fled the country?"

* * *

><p>A furious looking blond tugged the pinkette through the crowd, with a just as irritated looking brunette not far behind. They were taking turns pulling the girl down the street. "That was too close…can you believe those guys?" he growled.<p>

Sasuke scowled, shaking his head slightly, "I'm the one who had to deal with them while you were inside. What took so long? Did you buy one of everything or what?" They were headed for Sasuke's car, several blocks down and around the next street. It was a popular shopping district, and the stores were always crowed on the weekends, so finding a parking spot close to the center of the square was nearly impossible.

"Sakura needed time to decide." Naruto defended, squeezing the cat girl's hand slightly. He was rewarded with one of her oblivious grins, and he smiled back in return. "Plus, that stupid fish boy was in there—ugh, Suigetsu. Did you know he works there?"

Sasuke shrugged as they entered the parking lot and he pulled out his keys to unlock the car. The doors of the expensive luxury model came up automatically as the alarm was deactivated. "It's not like I really pay attention to what they do in their spare time—I keep them around because they're useful, not really because we're friends."

"Man, that's cold Sasuke, even for an ice-cube like you. I'm glad _we're_ really buds." Naruto beamed at the Uchiha as he hopped into the backseat with Sakura. Normally, he'd be more than ecstatic to ride up front and feel the wind through his short locks, but getting cozy in the back with the lovely girl seemed much more appealing.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blond in his rearview mirror, and managed to keep his frown from showing as he watched Naruto lean over to buckle Sakura's seat belt.

The pink-haired neko was happily munching the cake, crumbs and whipped cream already on her face. _'That damn cat better not drop a single crumb in my car.'_

"No, Sakura-chan, you use a fork, like this." Naruto grabbed the fork lying innocently in her lap and picked up some of the cake with it before holding it up to her mouth. "Say 'aaah'." he instructed.

"A-aah?" Sakura mimicked him and opened her mouth, and he quickly glided the fork in, grinning from ear to ear. She seemed to be chewing thoughtfully, and Sasuke, though he'd never admit it, was practically seething from behind the steering wheel.

"Dobe, you'd better not have crumbs in my car, or so help you, I'll—"

"Chillax, teme!" Naruto waved him off, putting more cake on the fork to feed Sakura again. "You and your car. The way you act, it's like you're sleeping with it or something." The blond laughed at his own barb, but Sasuke for one, did not find this so funny.

"Says the noodle-loving boy who once filled a kiddy pool up with hot ramen to go swimming in during the _summer_," Sasuke smirked when he saw the tanned face getting flustered.

"H-hey, I was nine! And how was I supposed to know I'd get second-degree burns?! Ya live and ya learn, teme! So don't judge me," Sakura listened to their back and forth banter, her eyes sparkling with glee.

She was happier in these past two days than she had been in her whole sixteen years of existence. Most of those years were lived as a mutated cat in a bio-research lab, but that was beside the point. Being with her new friends…made her feel free. Even the other humans she'd encountered so far didn't seem so bad.

She didn't know why Sasuke and Naruto became so protective around the other human males they'd met, but she decided it was just a male dominance thing. She was still learning the norms of living life as a "human" but nothing else she thought of really made sense of their possessive behavior.

"Where are we going?" she furrowed her pink brows as she looked out the window. Even the way they traveled was different. Before she met them, wherever she went, she went on foot. But truth be told, this was a nice change of pace; faster and not as much stress on her delicate feet.

"To take all the stuff we bought back to the mansion." Sasuke replied coolly, sparing her a quick glance in the mirror before turning back to the road. This girl…was one of a kind, and _not_ in the good way.

She made the Uchiha do things he would've never dreamed of, like going on a shopping spree to buy her necessary items, and voluntarily getting dragged around town by Naruto so he could take Sakura sight-seeing.

The day wasn't a total waste though. At least he had an excuse to get out of the house while his brother's old college fraternity came over. Those guys were all nut jobs in some way, shape or form.

He remembered a few years earlier when Itachi came home from college with all his fraternity buddies and that crazy, blond he-she lit fire-crackers in the living room that took out the entire roof of their guest house on the west wing. Yeah, it shot _that far_.

His father was so angry when he laid eyes on the gaping hole Sasuke thought _he'd_ be the next thing to rocket off into the atmosphere. Then there was that weird blue guy that would try to pick a fight with almost anything—tables, lamps, his mother's favorite mink dynasty vase— when he got drunk—and he drank like a tank; the guy had to be able to put away at least a few kegs of hard liquor without passing out.

And that silver-haired guy never seemed to wear a shirt. He was always half-naked and cursing his ass off when Sasuke saw him. And those were just a _few _of the freaks that made up his brother's group of "friends". He honestly thought Itachi would have more self-respect than to associate with the likes of them, but then he always knew that his brother wasn't all there either.

Then, it dawned on him that they were supposed to be in town for some reunion thing, so they could possibly be there a while.

Well. Shit. Naruto suddenly slammed into the window, and Sakura half fell on him as the car made a sharp U-turn. "Ouch! What the _hell_, teme!" Naruto spat angrily, "I fairly broke my jaw from that little stunt!"

"Shut it, dobe. There's been a change of plans." Sasuke's eyes looked dead serious as he continued driving as if nothing unordinary had just happened.

"W-what, but I thought we were gonna go back to your place and drop this stuff off!" Naruto protested, rubbing his sore face.

"We will, right after we eat." Whatever bought more time. It didn't even matter if he ended up footing the entire bill for Naruto's monstrosity of an appetite; the blond claimed he always ate better when the food was free.

Naruto knew he couldn't argue with that as his stomach gave a loud rumble of appreciation. "Awesome, let's go to—"

"Don't even say it, dope." Sasuke interrupted with a shake of his head. "I pay for it, I get to pick the restaurant. So deal."

By the time they were seated in the posh café Naruto's glum expression had all but disappeared, and he was glancing around anxiously at the other patrons all eating mouth-watering meals.

Sakura stared curiously at the menu, not sure what she was supposed to do with it, really. Naruto explained that all she had to do was pick something she saw that she wanted, and a waiter would bring it to her.

Her eyes immediately scanned the fish specials, landing on a description of a grilled salmon sandwich. The boys discreetly watched her jade orbs light up as she read the menu, and her tongue quickly darted out to lick her full lips.

"I want this!" she declared, putting the menu down in front of her and staring right at Sasuke, who sat across from her.

He quirked an eyebrow in a contemplative gesture. He'd noticed that her speech had seemed to improve within hours and, it was much easier to understand her, as she now talked in the first person. He wondered if she'd just been playing dumb before.

In truth, Sakura's brain had been designed similar to a computer, capable of storing an infinite amount of knowledge almost double that of an average human brain used at full capacity. She was programmed to analyze the situation, find the most likely scenario, and respond on auto-pilot.

That is, she would automatically respond with the correct action to counter anything in her environment that posed a threat. This was mostly part of her combat abilities, but it could apply to her espionage training in intelligence gathering too. Thus, the longer she spent around humans, the more her intelligence grew, filling in the lapses in speech she'd displayed earlier.

The Uchiha had only known her for a short time, but already he knew that there was more behind the mysterious girl than the childish demeanor she let on.

A waiter came up to their table minutes later to ask what they wanted to drink, and as soon as his eyes fell on Sakura, he looked dazed. Naruto glared at the guy, tempted to reach over and kick him in the leg, since he was sitting beside Sakura, closest to the end of the booth. "Coke," Naruto muttered, still doing his best to burn the waiter into oblivion when he noticed his eyes trailing downward to the pinkette's ample bosom.

It seemed to work, because the young man flinched at the throaty growl before quickly scribbling down the order. "A-and for the young lady?" he gulped, trying to keep any kind of flirtatious tone from leaking into his voice. "Milk!" she chirped happily.

He sweat dropped. _Ok…ay_. So maybe she was just a_ little_ on the eccentric side. What did he expect from a pink-haired Loli? At least that's what he assumed she was.

The expressive green eyes, dyed pink hair, and cute outfit... She had to be a Loli or a cosplayer, right? "Um, w-we don't have that here, but can I get you anything else instead?"

Sakura pouted, and the waiter visibly cringed at the sad look she wore, but the scowling raven at the table quickly replied. "Just bring her a decaf latte with extra cream."

He blinked, glancing at the pinkette to see if she would object, but she simply seemed to perk up at the mention of "cream", so he nodded and scribbled that down as well.

"A-and you s-sir?" he made sure to address the Uchiha especially respectfully. The guy's eyes were like ice, and even though the trio were all probably younger than him, he knew immediately who the dark-haired teenager was and the influence his family held. And _no one_ wanted to get on an Uchiha's bad side.

"Iced tea, unsweetened with extra lemon,"

He gave them a nervous smile and rushed away from the table sweating bullets. "What was wrong with him?" Sakura's head tilted curiously. "He smelled like fear." She was very observant, but it was probably a cat thing.

"Ignore it," both Sasuke and Naruto said nonchalantly.

The pinkette looked at them, but said no more. Humans were a strange bunch.

"Is that her?" The boy's purple eyes looked at the pink-haired girl from their hiding spot across the street.

The tall orange haired man selling hot dogs glanced in the direction his comrade was staring, squinting as he caught the unmistakable pink through a café window.

They had all blended in perfectly to their surroundings as ordinary teenagers. Discreetly taking jobs in the vicinity once their boss hypothesized she'd be in the area. And it had worked. No one suspected a thing.

But he would've never guessed that it would be the cute girl he'd met not even thirty minutes ago that was their target—a supposedly dangerous runaway experiment capable of causing miles of destruction.

There was an exasperated female sigh, "Well _obviously_. How many pink-haired girls could there _be_ in this city Suigetsu, you idiot!"

"You don't have to flip a shit you know," the first voice mumbled.

"Guys…I think they're leaving. Should we follow them?" the orange haired giant asked quietly through his hidden communication device.

"No. Pull back for now. It's enough that we've got a positive on their location. Let's go back to the lab," the female commanded determinedly.

"Seriously Karin, who died and made you supreme ruler of the planet?" Suigetsu scoffed.

"Shut it and follow my lead. Or have you forgotten that it's thanks to _my_ abilities we were able to track her down in the first place? I'm team-leader for this operation so shut up and get with it Suigetsu! I just can't believe poor Sasuke-kun's caught up in this. Stupid little witch…" she snarled as her crimson eyes studied the pink-haired girl skipping along with a critical eye.

"Yeah, yeah whatever…" Suigetsu mumbled. "Then you can '_lead_' us straight to disaster like you always do. C'mon Jugo, we don't need to wait for her to finish her disgusting daydreams."

Karin stopped swooning long enough to see that they were nonchalantly walking away. She growled, a throbbing vein appearing near her temple as her irritation built. "Eh? Hey, get back here you imbeciles!" she screamed, slipping into a crowd to follow them.

* * *

><p>Sakura paused mid-step and carefully tilted her nose into the air. For a minute she had smelt something strange…like a sinister presence vaguely familiar to her. But it was gone now, whatever it was. "Why'd you stop Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned from beside her, patting his full stomach.<p>

She beamed at him the way she had seen other human females they'd pass do to Sasuke and shook her head. "No reason. Just tired," she explained. Naruto easily accepted the answer with a grin, nodding.

"Yeah, it was a pretty long day, huh?" he agreed before turning to his dark-haired friend, "So c'mon teme! I'm ready to head back whether you like it or not," The Uchiha walking a few paces behind them pointedly ignored the blond as they made it back to his car. The drive back to the Uchiha estate was not filled with Naruto's endless talking, but rather his equally obnoxious snoring.

'_Idiot…he's hyper one minute then gets a full meal in his stomach and passes out like a little kid_.' Sasuke glimpsed the blond in his passenger seat in disgust. His mouth hung wide open and a long strand of drool moved up and down every time he took a breath.

"Naruto-kun sleeps heavy," a more feminine voice said from behind him. He looked into his rearview mirror to see Sakura leaning forward slightly, studying the blond in curiosity. Tentatively, she reached out a finger to poke him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. If the dobe's dreaming about food—which he always does—he'll start biting in his sleep any minute now." Sasuke drawled.

Sakura watched to see what would happen next and, sure enough Naruto started snapping at the air like a hungry piranha. He seemed to still be fully unconscious, but he was grumbling about "ramen thieves" and "saving the princess of noodle castle".

Sakura had no idea what he was talking about, but she laughed all the same. She didn't see it, but as irritated as he was, the Uchiha couldn't help but smirk at the blond's idiocy. If nothing else it was pitiful. In a laughable sort of way of course.

When they pulled onto Sasuke's street and the gates of the lavish mansion came into view, Sasuke felt torn between a sense of respite and discontentment. Shopping all day—something he was not used to by any means—was exhausting, and even more so with the added exuberance of a bouncy Naruto all day long. Yet, he wasn't sure what to expect as he pulled into the front circle of the house, making sure to smack Naruto across the head before getting out. The blond woke up with a groggy start and stretched, "Man, that was some good nappin'. Eh, we're here already?" he looked around, wiping the drool off on the back of his hand.

"You _would _be surprised moron. You slept like a log the whole way."

He heard his raven-haired friend grumbling from outside the car as he grabbed the bags of things they'd gotten and given some to an ever eager Sakura while tossing the remaining parcels at him uncaringly, "H-hey! Watch it, teme. Some of this stuff is heavy enough to give me a concussion if it made a direct hit."

"You don't say," the Uchiha said flatly.

Naruto struggled up the wide stone steps to the front of the manor. Sakura cheerfully followed, merrily swinging the bags dangling from her arms. "D-don't you have servants for this stuff?" he whined, which the Uchiha skillfully ignored.

The fancy scanner near the corner of the carved oak doors confirmed his identity and he opened the door and allowed the pinkette and struggling blond to trail in behind. Naruto immediately dropped the bags, and slumped to the floor, looking questionably winded. "Tired already dobe? Where's that boundless energy you always brag about?" Sasuke taunted.

"Shut up, teme!" the blond barked. "Of course I'm not tired! I just…felt like sitting here cuz the floor's comfortable…y-yeah!" Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes, but noticed a servant coming forward to greet them and told her to take the items up to Sakura's room and put them away.

Another woman came forward and the two bowed before taking the bags. Naruto scoffed, "You see?! It would've been that easy to get them to take the stuff out of the car to begin with! Sometimes I think you're _trying _to make my life more difficult."

"Hn." Sasuke began to walk away, out of the foyer and towards the living room, where he thought he'd heard chattering. Peering around the corner without being seen, he saw his brother talking quietly to one of his co-workers and, coincidentally, his best friend since childhood, Shisui Uchiha.

Good. That meant his stupid frat buddies already left. One less migraine to deal with. He turned around, about to head upstairs to his own room, when something pink popped up, smiling cheerfully. "What are you doing, Sasuke-kun?" she asked excitedly, peaking around the corner into the room. "It's Itachi-san!" she smiled, waving to the older man. Sasuke scowled and yanked her away from the doorframe, but it was too late.

"Sasuke, I see you're home; there's no use in remaining hidden." His brother's solemn timbre made him grit his teeth as he stepped around the corner, his hand still clamped firmly onto the naïve girl's arm.

"You've brought your guest from abroad as well. Haruno-san, was it?" Itachi's cool gaze was piercing, enough to make in the most confident of persons feel _some_ discomfort. But Sakura seemed oblivious. She ignored the way his aura seemed to be almost probing as if looking for something from her.

Sakura gently pulled away from Sasuke to walk fully into the room with a polite nod. "Yes, that's right." Sasuke eyed her subtly, once again noting the odd way she shifted into a completely different mode. One minute she was nosey and child-like. The next polite and formal. So which was the act and which was the real Sakura?

His older cousin smiled at the young girl with a slight nod in Sasuke's direction as a greeting. "Hello, I'm Shisui Uchiha. Itachi told me Sasuke was entertaining a young lady, but seeing is believing." he joked lightly. "You can come and sit if you'd like," he offered, gesturing to the extra space on the loveseat he occupied.

It was large enough to comfortably suit to people without them having to be crammed together so Sakura thought nothing of it and graciously accepted the seat. Sasuke grudgingly took up residence in an adjacent arm-chair.

"It's been a while hasn't it, Sasuke?" Shisui directed his attention to his younger cousin.

"Hn," the Uchiha folded his arms over his chest and eyed his cousin blankly.

"Wow," Shisui chuckled. "Good lucks _and_ charm. I bet that attitude gets you real far with girls. If you're going to have Sakura-san over, at least act like a hospitable host."

"Don't you have somewhere else to be by now, Shisui? With all the work you do on the force and father away, I suspected you'd be too busy to stop by just to chat." he sneered.

Sakura glanced back and forth between the three males. The tension in the air was palpable and it was driving her animal instincts crazy. She tried to suppress her flight or fight urges again.

"As a matter of fact, we were just reviewing some very important guidelines for the firm's executive branch." Itachi added calmly. "But we've finished for now, so Shisui will be returning to work."

Shisui stood up smiling down at Sakura, "Nice to meet you Sakura-san. Please keep Sasuke in line."

Sakura smiled toothily and nodded. "Bye Shisui-san!" Itachi followed Shisui out of the room to see him off, and the scowl on Sasuke's face diminished until it was only a slightly unpleasant vibe around him that Sakura could sense.

"Sasuke-kun, something wrong?" she asked innocently, genuinely wanting to know. There really wasn't much she could think of to do to repay all the kindness he had shown her but, she would be there if he needed her.

"Nothing that concerns you. Just forget it," he stood up, stalking out of the room. Sakura felt the vibe telling her he wanted to be alone, so she simply decided that's what she'd do. And in the meantime, she'd find out where Naruto-kun hadn't noticed they'd seemingly left the boy at the entrance until now.

She strolled out of the room and into the direction where Naruto's scent was the strongest, unaware from the eyes followed her from the shadows. Glimmering and deadly.

* * *

><p><strong>I couldn't find out where to end it! T^T So I finally decided on a slightly suspenseful ending. There will be more drama than ever in the chapters to come, and more of Sakura with some of the other guys she's met briefly. ;) Review!<strong>


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